Today’s investment market is, by any definition, wild, hairy and unpredictable. Investment advisors and certified financial planners are often as replete with angst as are their clients.  Sectors swing wildly. Bond yields are at historic lows. And historically valid concepts of diversification seem to crumble before your very eyes. Portfolios constructed in accord with the…

One of the most dominant trends in the financial services marketplace today is the integration of product lines – from brokerage and mutual funds to insurance and complex estate planning to solve complex client needs. The result is an increasingly complex sales process which can become bogged down due to the wide range of issues…

As salespeople, it is easy to fall into a routine – a pattern of activity which becomes comfortable. Routines can be positive, providing structure to what are often harried days. However, routines can lead you to become stale. Try this to change tracks. Invest 30 to 60 minutes over the next two days becoming an…

Read Part 1 and Part 2 The questions that can bring the success of a sales call into clear focus are: “Who has more doubt about the situation, you or the suspect?” and “Who has more interest in the next meeting, you or them?”  D.U.I. (an acronym for creating Doubt, Urgency and Interest) is alive…

Read Part 1 I have found that a great place to start building credibility authority with each of your people is with a pipeline check.  Since the pipeline is the conduit from which all sales blessings flow, it warrants a periodic cleansing.  Starting here provides an opportunity to use the same skills and techniques you…

“This group is yours, so manage them. Do what you want; just get results!”  The words of your boss keep echoing in your mind.  Just get results!  You certainly have the responsibility.  “…manage them.  Do what you want….”  You obviously have been given the authority.  It’s all in place; you have both responsibility and authority. …

Read Part 1 and Part 2 At the risk of mixing metaphors, let’s go back to the golf analogy.  On most golf courses, there are 3 par 3’s, 12 par 4’s and 3 par 5’s.  The par 4’s and 5’s usually require a driver, mid and long irons, a short iron and a putter –…

Read Part 1 In my business, I spend a lot of time in the classroom; two types of classrooms, as a matter of fact. The first is the classroom of application and experience where we apply what we teach, always attempting to refine and enhance our strategies, tactics, and application skills as we work to…

A few years ago, I watched a television news magazine interview and profile of the famed and accomplished pianist Vladimir Horowitz.  The image on the screen was of Horowitz playing the piano, fingers moving rapidly up and down the keyboard with obvious precision and grace.  The sound of his music was barely audible as the…

As a consumer, you could probably name a couple of service providers that you would go out of your way to frequent. These service providers are also the same ones that you would refer to someone without hesitation if they were to ask your opinion. Wouldn’t it be great if all your clients felt the…